[TenTec] RX366 -- Yes or No?

[Eric Rosenberg]

A question regarding the cost and value of upgrading your Orion 565 or
Orion II 566 came up on the Orion565 reflector on Yahoo.

My response to that list is below. It may clarify matters...or not!

I will add that installing the board is an absolute no-brainer. No need to
send it to Ten Tec to be done.

73,
Eric W3DQ
Washington, DC

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When making a decision as whether to go ahead with an enhancement or
upgrade to your existing station, comes down to need and value.

If you are a contester or DXer, the RX366 will be a welcome addition.
Having two matched, high performance receivers is a significant plus when
it comes to operating both in a messy (i.e., crowded) band and one
populated with weak signals, where diversity reception makes the difference
between hearing the other station and making the QSO.

Another misconception. You do *not* need additional filters to effectively
use the RX366. The DSP code is extremely good.

Regardless of whether or not you purchase the RX366, you owe it to yourself
to install the new version 3 firmware when it released. You will be
impressed by the scope of the enhancements, modifications, and fixes that
were made, all in response to requests from the existing and potential user
communities.

>From my perspective as a Ten Tec (and Elecraft and Yaesu) user and a
volunteer beta tester for a long time, both the version 3 firmware and the
RX366 high performance receiver mark the re-introduction of the the Orion
565 and Orion II 566 to the ham radio marketplace.

Eric W3DQ
Washington, DC